Before the Dawn
by cheergirlejami
Summary: EJ DiMera is determined to take charge of his life and the first order of business is extracting revenge upon those who he thinks have wronged him.  Set during Sydnapping saga, but is EJ really the kidnapper or not?
1. Chapter 1

Before the Dawn

Warning to readers: _this is not one of my romantic fics, this one has really bad language; strong sexual innuendos and situations, violence etc…EJ is not a knight in shining armor in this story. To be honest with you, he will probably be one mean son of a bitch for the most part, so if this type of scenario offends you, please go no further. I have plenty of good romantic EJami fics in my collection, but this fic will be kind of different from my other stories. _

_Prologue_

_It's always darkest before the dawn…_

One, two, three, hell EJ didn't know how many drinks he'd had tonight, his anger growing with each sip until he took the crystal glass decanter he was holding and threw it against the fireplace, causing shards of the expensive glass to shatter into tiny fragments. The remaining liquid splattering haphazardly onto what had been an immaculate room when he had entered it earlier.

It didn't matter if he wrecked the entire house though he duly realized. He had the run of the mansion now. His father was long gone; Stefano having fled the country with his whore of a wife Kate when he realized his lies no longer would keep his son at his beck and call anymore. EJ guessed after he had tried to strangle his own father with his bare hands it had scared Stefano more than he cared to admit.

EJ looked down at his hands, remembering what it had felt like when he had almost strangled his father. If he had only held on for a few minutes more, Stefano would have been dead, but something had stopped him from killing him. A better revenge for his dastardly father would be having his son hate him for the rest of his miserable life, always wondering if or when EJ might lose it completely and come back to finish the job.

His own soon to be lying ex-wife was in jail, crying for the child she had stole from his other ex-wife whom was currently playing house with an imbecile he despised almost as badly as he did his father and Nicole. Not that he had much love lost for Samantha at the moment either because it was her treacherous lies that had started it all anyway.

"To hell with them all," he said aloud to the empty room and reached for another decanter, there were plenty of them for his use and no one around to stop him from drinking himself into oblivion. He needed some kind of escape from this mess momentarily, and this was the remedy he sought for now.

He knew when he went down eventually for all his many sins and transgressions he was taking the abysmal lot of them with him.

**_Chapter 1_**

Damn if he wasn't drunk, EJ thought to himself after he staggered slightly before haphazardly slinking into a high back chair that faced the fire place. Harold must have built a fire earlier in the evening before EJ dismissed him from his duties for the day.

Dismissed or something to that effect now that he thought about it he might have told Harold to get the hell out instead. He looked around thinking poor old Harold would have a mess to clean up tomorrow, but knowing the timid man would never complain about it in the least.

The man had no sense of humor at all, EJ mused thinking now if Bart were still alive and well at least he'd have some kind of comic relief in what now seemed to be endless days of reliving the past.

Lies, they all lied to him time and time again. Samantha, Nicole, Stefano, but Samantha's lies hurt the most. He had almost started believing in her again, that was until he overheard her talking to that tool Rafe at the Christmas Eve vigil being held for Sydney.

He took another long draw from the decanter, wishing with all his might he could forget overhearing her words that continued to haunt him even though he hadn't let on for one second he'd heard her words of hypocrisy. One thing was for certain Samantha had finally proven that she was more like the Brady's than she had ever dared admit.

_"What? What's up?" Rafe asked as he looked at Sami. _

_"Nothing. Just on the way here, I was thinking... " Her words trailed off as she hesitated to say more._

_"What? Tell me." _

_She began again, "About Nicole and what she did. And just wondering what our lives would've been like if she hadn't-if she hadn't switched the babies." _

_"We're going to have that life with Sydney. We're gonna get it back." Rafe said with his know-it-all attitude that he used with her._

_"But EJ's in the picture now. Everything is so complicated. You know? It just could've been so perfect for us. You know? We could've-we could've had Sydney and we could've raised her-just you and me." _

_"Sami, hey, listen. I love Sydney. I will raise her like she is my own." _

_"I know you will."_

_EJ stood there his unbelief growing over what he'd just heard Samantha say to Rafe; especially after her apology to him at Grace's grave that day. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction of knowing he'd eavesdropped on them even though he should have just to embarrass the hell out of her for what she'd just divulged to Rafe. No he would save this knowledge for another time and place. His daughter's candlelight vigil was not it._

_Instead he simply said, "Hey. Sorry I'm late." _

_Sami looking at him giving him a welcoming smile after she'd just told Rafe she would have kept the knowledge of them sharing a child together all over again if she had the chance, "Hey, you know, I just got here too. I was telling Rafe about, um, how I talked to Nicole earlier. And you know how she remembers that voice, right? Well, she's saying she thinks she knows who that voice is. She thinks she knows." _

_"Samantha, I'm sorry, she's just stringing us along 'cause she's starved for attention." EJ said thinking that after all Nicole had done to them, now Samantha was going to start believing in that lying whore again. Evidentially the stupidity ran rampant in Salem and Rafe's lack of intelligence was sadly rubbing off on Samantha too._

_"No. I know. I-I really believe Nicole this time. I think that she's telling us the truth that she is going to remember who that voice is. She's going to help us get Sydney back." _

_He wasn't going to argue with her over the merits of Nicole telling anyone the truth and just went with a simple response of okay. _

_"Sami, hey, if Nicole remembers, that is great news. Doesn't matter, we're gonna get Sydney back anyways. It's my gift to you." Rafe bragged proudly to her._

EJ took another drink and then spit into the fireplace, "My gift my ass," he muttered disbelieving under his breath as Bridgette the new maid came into the room, her eyes all aglow as she caught the sight of her boss slinging back drinks like there was no tomorrow.

Sami felt her anger rising as she heard Arianna talking to Rafe in the other room of the apartment she now shared with him. Ari had wanted to talk to her brother alone she stated primly much to Sami's chagrin.

Little did they know Sami always eavesdropped especially after she heard Rafe raise his voice to his younger sister about none other than EJ DiMera.

"Ari, you can't be serious. EJ is a snake, the man is immoral."

"Rafe, I have seen a different side to EJ. He is kind, he needs a friend…"

"Not you! Are you out of your mind? EJ is a DiMera for god's sake!"

"I am going to stand by him no matter what you say," Ari stated matter of fact to her brother making his face turn all sorts of shades of purple as his anger grew over the fact that his sister was being hoodwinked by EJ. Couldn't she see what kind of man he was? No he guessed not as she was about to turn on her heel and leave, but he caught her before she could go.

Sami wanted to go in there and slap Arianna silly. How dare she extol the nonexistent virtues of EJ. He was not a nice man, not one at all.

EJ was a man you didn't let get too close to you or he'd make you do all kinds of things you'd later on regret. Well if Rafe didn't get through to Arianna about leaving EJ alone she'd make sure EJ didn't ensnare Ari into his trap. She knew firsthand what happened if you dropped your guard around EJ.

So she knew what she had to do. Go stop EJ. Arianna didn't know how he was, not really, but she did. She was ready to storm out into the living room and then thought better, grabbing her coat before she entered the room asking Arianna would she mind staying with Rafe for a little while because she needed to talk to Hope.

Arianna reluctantly agreed to her request while Rafe gave Sami a quizzical look. He shrugged it off when Sami gave him a peck on the cheek telling him she would be home soon.

"Mr. DiMera, I didn't mean to intrude," Bridgette began hesitantly as she took in his visage, rumpled grey dress pants, white dress shirt unbuttoned about halfway down his chest, his tie loosened and hanging around his neck, his face darkened by stubble.

EJ took a long look at her, she was pretty with shiny dark hair and eyes to match, and thank goodness she wasn't a blonde. He gave her a wicked smile and beckoned her closer.

"Care for a drink Bridgette?" He asked as he held up the bottle in the air.

"No sir, I don't think that is in my job description," she began only to be cut off by his raucous laughter.

"To hell with your job duties, come have a drink with me and we'll just see if we need to broaden your job description just a smidgen," he said sexily as she walked over closer to him in her tight little maid's outfit that hugged her body perfectly.

"Okay, just one maybe," she agreed trying not to smile because this was the best offer she'd had all day after cleaning up this mausoleum of a house.

Sami knocked on the door of the DiMera mansion and waited impatiently, her breath coming out in cold wisps in the night air as she rubbed her hands together trying to garner some warmth. She knocked again wondering where Harold could be, he always answered the door promptly.

She almost turned away and left until she heard a loud thump followed by the unmistakable shriek of laughter coming from somewhere nearby. What in the world was going on? She decided to turn the knob seeing that no one was apparently coming to answer the door.

She walked into the darkened foyer, her eyes adjusting to the darkness that was unusual for this section of the mansion and sure enough she heard another bout of laughter coming from the study. She quickly made her way to the room, she knew the location of the rooms all too well from her time living here at EJ's wife.

The door was slightly ajar and she pushed it open the rest of the way, there was someone in the dark room, the only light coming from the glow of the fire in the fire place and whoever was in here they were laughing like hell over something.

Her eyes widened when she caught the sight of him or rather them. EJ was laughing chugging a bottle of something while on her knees kneeled in front of him was someone apparently giving EJ a blow job.

Sami made a noise trying to get his attention, only to have him laugh more when he caught the sight of her.

"EJ, um…" Sami begin trying to avert her eyes away from the sight of the dark haired girl bobbing her head up and down on EJ's lower part of his anatomy.

"Samantha, what a pleasant surprise," he slurred slightly acting as if having one of his servants servicing him in a most inappropriate way was nothing out of the ordinary for him.

Bridgette on the other hand raised her head slightly from her current task at hand with something akin to horror in her eyes being caught by someone since she thought she and EJ had been the only occupants in the mansion.

Sami straightened her shoulders, trying not to let the shock of seeing EJ with another woman bother her, her voice tight with anger questioned the girl, "What are you doing here at this time of night? Are you still working?"

"Oh no mam' I'm not on the clock right now," Bridgette stated nervously trying to get up from the floor with some difficulty since EJ was absentmindedly petting her head.

"Darling, the girl isn't on the clock. Can't you see she is on my co…"

Sami interrupted him before he could state the obvious. "Get her out of here."

"Why?" EJ asked while Bridgette finally stood up trying her best to pull down her already too short skirt.

"Because I said so," Sami replied tersely, pissed off beyond belief that EJ was acting this way.

"And that is reason enough to send this poor fetching girl out into the night?" EJ questioned while Bridgette curtsied to Sami.

"We have some things to discuss and I'd prefer not to do it in front of the hired help," Sami stressed as she gave Bridgette a look that could kill.

"Well," EJ deadpanned, "if you just have to speak with me alone."

"I do," Sami hissed, gritting her teeth in the process.

"That is quite all right, I do need to hurry along," she said rushing past Sami as she left EJ sitting in the chair by himself to face Sami's wrath.

"Thanks for the entertaining evening," EJ called out in a sing song manner to her as the door slammed in the wake of her departure. "Lovely girl; that one, and the things she can do with her mouth…"

When Sami was sure she had left the room, she began her tirade, "You are despicable, nasty…"

EJ laughed all the more, making Sami angrier as he grabbed the arm of the chair and righted himself to standing, adjusting his zipper with some effort on his part as he kept bubbling over with laughter.

"Don't you dare laugh at me," Sami started which only caused him to laugh more.

"Darling, if you wanted to join us you were more than welcome," EJ suggested giving her look as he started to unzip his pants.

"No!" Sami called out as her eyes widened thinking EJ was about to strip down to his boxers or god forbid he wasn't wearing anything at all under those dress pants he wore so well.

"No?" EJ questioned with a raised brow. "Are you sure? God knows you haven't been fucked good and proper since the last time we were together."

Sami sputtered with anger, her face glowing crimson red in the shadows of the fire, "How dare you talk to me like that! You are coarse, vile, arrogant…"

"What do you want?" EJ took a step toward her causing her to take a step back from him, his height in the dark shadows of the room looking opposing as he eyed her suspiciously.

"I came to talk to you," Sami said, hating the fact she was not standing her ground against him, but she'd been so caught off guard by what she'd walked in on that her thoughts were all escaping her beyond the thought that she was now alone in the mansion with a very drunk EJ.

"You could of called," he said his voice hardening even though in the dark Sami could see that wasn't the only thing that was hardening on EJ.

"Well, I…" she faltered as EJ backed her up against the wall.

"Is it something about Johnny? Is he all right? Have you heard anything else about Sydney?" EJ fired off a round of questions rapidly as he towered over her, casually reaching out to pull a strand of her wayward hair and twirling it around his finger.

"No," she answered feeling short of breath having him so close to her, her muscles tensing in anticipation of his next move.

"If you aren't here to discuss our children," he stressed tightly, "then you need to get the hell out of my house because Sweetheart that is the only thing between us anymore, isn't it?" He placed his other arm up against the wall, leaning against her, the fumes of the brandy he'd been drinking ripe upon him and leaving her with absolutely no doubt that he was fully aroused.

She needed to get away from him, coming here tonight was a mistake, a big one at that because she could start to feel the beginnings of that dark and dangerous desire she kept in check for him trying to claw its way out of the recesses of her innermost being.

He could see it, she wanted him, just as badly as he wanted her, but damn it if he was going to fall for her lies again. She couldn't just come in here demanding they talk anytime she felt like it, or anything else either.

Sami felt her stomach start to knot, EJ wasn't in the mood to play games with her, and she hadn't seen this side of him in a long, long time. It was in the tone of his voice and the bleakness of his eyes, they were cold, no warmth in them like he usually had in them for her after they had made up at Grace's gravesite.

"You need to go home to your knight in shining armor, your hero" EJ scoffed with contempt along with an added roll of his eyes, "because I don't think you can handle being here with me tonight."

He'd thrown the gauntlet down, just daring her to take him up on his challenge, but she wasn't prepared for this, for her wanting EJ again despite all her protests that she was over him, that the only thing she was interested in him was for the welfare of their children. He was a complication she needed to steer clear of if she had any god given sense in her head.

She attempted to push him away, but not before he could lean down and whisper hotly in her ear, his lips mere centimeters away from her, "Don't come back here unannounced unless you have something new tell me about Sydney or to bring Johnny to me, unless of course you want something more than what you are apparently getting at home."

She narrowed her eyes, ready to give him a scorching retort when he gruffly laughed again at her and abruptly backed away from her gesturing with his arms for her to leave the room. Sami was flustered, and she needed to get her bearings before she started something with EJ she wasn't sure she could finish.

With her head held high, she left the room, trying to leave with her dignity intact before she did something incredibly stupid that she would regret for the rest of her life.

Days Transcript taken from US airing 12/24/09

**_Chapter 2_**

When Sami returned to the apartment, she was still flushed, recalling all the things EJ had said to her. He had been close to being downright vulgar to her and she had done absolutely nothing about it. Why she should have told him off in no uncertain terms, but after seeing the menacing look in his eyes, she had thought better than to chance angering him further.

If truth be told though she was also angry at herself because her initial mission of warning EJ to stay away from Arianna had been completely forgotten as soon as she had witnessed EJ and what she guessed was his new maid. She sorely wished Mary had not left the DiMera's employ for family reasons of her own. Where was a kindly old frumpy maid and nanny when you needed one?

The thought that the new curvy and apparently sexually appetite Bridgette might indeed be Johnny's new nanny brought forth a fresh new wave of anger within her. No way in hell was EJ going to have some slut helping to look after their son Johnny when he was with EJ on his visitation days.

EJ also telling her she wasn't welcome at the mansion was a huge joke. He wasn't going to get away with telling her that she couldn't come by unannounced. Why she would go there any time she freaking felt like it, he wasn't going to tell her what she could and couldn't do. If EJ thought he was scaring her away from him then he had another thing coming to him.

She was so worked up over her failure to accomplish a single thing she had previously set out to do when she spoke with EJ tonight that she told Rafe she had what she thought might be the beginnings of a terrible migraine coming on. Rafe had fetched a cool washcloth to sooth her aching head Sami had meekly suggested that it might be best if he stayed in the guest bedroom tonight.

After shooing a puzzled Rafe off to the other bedroom so that she could have some peace and quiet, her mind began to run rampant with multiple plans swirling around about she would do about EJ. No way was EJ going to get the best of her, no way at all, not while she had breath left in her body. She would not go down without a fight; that was for sure.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
>Hours later EJ awoke alone in his bed, still halfway dressed in yesterday's clothes, vaguely looking around to see if anyone was in the room with him. He squinted his eyes at the shafts of daylight pouring through his bedroom window wincing at the immediate pain that was shooting like a round of fireworks in his temples. He was hung-over; something that wasn't the norm for him no matter how much he drank.<p>

He tossed off his clothes as he made his way to his bathroom, pausing only momentarily to take a gander at his reflection in the mirror. Shaking his head only made it hurt more, but he knew with a certainty he wasn't going to end up like that alcoholic Lucas had over Samantha. Damn that woman was a toxin to any man's system apparently.

He turned on the faucet and cupped his hands to get some cold water to splash on his face. The cold was a shock to his system that was needed to get his thoughts going in the right direction this morning. He had big plans and clueless Lucas had fallen right into the web he was spinning.

Well his good fortune in having found out that Kate had been shagging Roman behind Stefano's back had been like winning the lottery. The pictures of them together were more than a bit disgusting and close to border line disturbing seeing as how he had slept with her too, they were just the trick he needed to bring Kate back to town.

While he wished he could of waited a few more days before he had to see her, timing was of the essence because he needed Kate to help him aggravate Samantha. Oh she was going to be fit to be tied when Kate dropped this latest bombshell upon her. Why with the news of Sydney being kidnapped, this should help drive the woman he used to love just a teeny tiny bit closer to the edge.

He readied himself to get into the shower after reaching into the medicine cabinet to grab a bottle of aspirin, opening the bottle and shaking out a handful hoping like hell they would help this headache. Taking the aspirin with him he momentarily returned to his bedroom to grab a bottle of bourbon, hair of the dog he surmised, as he took the aspirin along with a quick swig of the bourbon to chase it down.

Now he could take a shower he thought as he began to recall his telephone conversation late yesterday with his step-mummy. He began to chuckle as he imagined what kind of story she concocted to leave Stefano's tightly fist grip on her to come back to Salem.

_"Kate darling; or should I call you Mum instead," EJ had started off their conversation with a sweet sarcastic tone in his voice._

_"EJ, what do you want?" Kate instantly went into suspicious mode, surely EJ wasn't calling her to inquire about her good health, of that much she was sure recalling how angry EJ had been trying to strangle his father only a few weeks earlier._

_"Oh is that anyway to greet your favorite step-son?" EJ asked injecting a slight bit of hurt into his voice as he leaned up against the wall, wishing he could see her face in just a few seconds from now._

_"I don't have time for your games," Kate stated tersely only to be interrupted by EJ's laughter on the other end of the line._

_"Now that is where you are wrong," EJ dropped any indication of laughter from his voice immediately. "I need you back here in Salem before noon tomorrow."_

_"I can't do that," Kate began wondering exactly what EJ was up to now. "Your father has no desire to come back to Salem any time soon after you tried to kill him."_

_"You can and you will, without Father," EJ ordered into the phone, "unless you'd rather I tell him about your latest endeavors with a certain Salem police officer."_

_"I don't know what you are talking about," Kate stated even though in the back of her mind a fear started to form that EJ had somehow found out about her little indiscretion with Roman from a few weeks earlier. She had been sure no one would have found out about it, she had been so careful. _

_"Do you really want me to go into explicit detail over the phone or would you rather just get your ass here and speak with me in person?" EJ questioned without even a modicum of civility in his voice now._

_"EJ, let's be reasonable, your father keeps a rather tight schedule for me…"_

_"I don't care what you have to do or how you have to lie to him, just get here before noon tomorrow or your world as you know it will come crashing all down around you. Without Father's help I believe you would be rotting in a jail cell somewhere, but if he finds out what I know I think he will be the first one in line to see that you go to prison after all."_

_Kate started to reply only to have the line go dead on her. EJ had hung up on her. Her hands started to shake, if Stefano ever found out that she had cheated on him, prison would be a far kinder fate than whatever he would do to her. She took a deep breath, stood up straight and went to go give Stefano a performance that would rival anything she had ever done before because she had to get back to Salem before EJ completely destroyed this new life she had created for herself when she became Stefano DiMera's wife._

**_Chapter 3_**

Sami paused, in the process of putting in her diamond earrings when she heard the door open in her bedroom. Her thought of concentration completely shot she dropped one of the precious diamond studs onto her dressing table and immediately her eyes began to search for the gem amidst the littering of jewelry that were arrayed upon the table along with various makeup and expensive perfumes.

He had come home earlier than she had anticipated; she wasn't even fully dressed yet. What would he think of her not being ready when he had specifically told her tonight was to be a very special one indeed for the two of them? He needed her help in securing a new business deal and here she was not even halfway ready.

She caught a glimpse of him in the gilded mirror as he pulled off his silk tie; letting it dangle in between the opening of his starched white dress shirt where she spied just the beginning of those crisp dark chest hairs that fanned out upon his broad chest and had to suppress a sigh of appreciation when she thought of where his chest hair tapered down to a thin ribbon of hair beneath his naval. How would she ever make it though the evening's dinner of polite conversation without wanting to sneak away to get a better look at where that trail ended?

It only took a few moments for his long stride to close the distance on the hardwood floor between them and then he was standing behind her, his front to her back, the darkness of his large tanned hands started a slow progression down her arms, making a stark contrast to her pale, creamy skin that wasn't clothed yet beyond the camisole that hung snuggly over her ample chest along with her lacy panties barely concealing her bottom.

"Why aren't you ready yet?" His hot breath made her shiver slightly when it reached her ear as he whispered his inquiry.

She bit her lower lip, thinking should she tell him she had wanted him to find her like this, that she wanted him to take her before they began a night of business, that she wanted her pleasure before business and hopefully afterwards too? Instead of replying though, she said nothing offering up no excuse to him.

"You naughty girl, standing here looking all inviting in your lingerie when we don't have much time before our guests arrive," he pulled her directly to him, his hands starting to roam aimlessly over her body as she felt the full, blistering length of his erection against her ass, trying not to squirm against him when she felt the floodgates of wetness that he had managed to arouse within her.

She reached up, tugging on one ribbon strap of the camisole and purposely slid it down her arm, immediately exposing one rosy crest of a nipple for him to view, "I guess you'll need to show me the error of my ways."

He chuckled catching her eyes in the mirror, "Oh you wicked temptress, what am I ever going to do with you?"

"Why fuck me of course," she said in a throaty whisper as he quickly lifted her up into his arms taking her straight to the bed.

Sami awoke feeling as hot as if she had running a marathon and to the point of being short of breath. Her pj's were twisted about her sweat soaked body and she realized one hand was delved past the drawstring of her bottoms, touching an aching part of her that was slick with need.

She guiltily removed her hand and cursed the man that had been front and center in her highly erotic dream. "Damn you EJ."

She didn't need this annoyance, didn't want him, but so far she had been unable to control her dreams of him, ones that were steadily growing more vivid with each passing night. She was over EJ, she loved Rafe, or at least that is what she kept telling herself, but as looked down at her still flushed body and closed her legs she knew her traitorous body was telling her something else entirely different than what her mind was trying to say.

Noon finally arrived and Kate was on time, prompting a surprised look from Harold when he opened the door to the DiMera mansion even though he never commented beyond a "Good afternoon Mrs. DiMera."

"I need to see EJ," Kate informed the butler curtly to which he directed her to the study.

"Kate such a pleasure to see you again," EJ arose from the desk and heading straightway to her, placing a light kiss upon her cheek. "Thank you Harold for seeing Kate in, that will be all for now."

"Yes sir," Harold bowed slightly before taking his leave of them, all the while thinking this entire family was such a strange lot, he would be glad when Master DiMera finally returned to the mansion because quite frankly he couldn't figure out what in the world the younger Master DiMera was up to between nights of drinking until the wee hours and while he was not one much for gossip he'd heard rumors of various beautiful women coming to the mansion to see him although none had spent the night so far as he could tell.

"You can stop the pretense of being happy to see me," Kate informed EJ as she pushed away from him and headed to the wet bar, pouring herself a generous helping of bourbon before returning to face her wayward stepson.

"Oh but I am happy to see you Kate," EJ replied as a smile formed upon his lips even though it never fully reached his dark eyes.

Kate pressed her lips together, whatever the hell EJ had better be good because she was going to make him pay dearly for summoning her here. Stefano had been suspicious as soon as she had announced she needed to take leave of him for the day and it had taken all of her strength to keep her wits about her. She was the new matriarch of a very dangerous family and her newfound position was precarious at best.

"What do you want?" Kate knew better than to show EJ that he had scared her on the telephone yesterday, god only knew what hell would break lose should Stefano ever even consider that his new wife was already cheating on him behind his back. She shuddered to think of the consequences.

"Just a small thing actually, well rather two things, but first things first," EJ went over to the desk and pulled out two official looking documents deftly handing them over to Kate for her perusal.

Kate took the documents doing her best not to let her hands shake as she quickly scanned the contents of the documents, turning her eyes up to EJ before uttering, "You can't be serious."

"Very serious Kate, either you have Lucas committed to this sanitarium indefinitely thereby granting you custody of his parental rights of Allie until he is released or I will have no other choice than to let dear old Dad realize what a slut he had wed." EJ tapped her lightly on the nose, clicking his tongue in mock disapproval until Kate jerked her head back away from him.

"Lucas will never forgive me if I do this to him," Kate turned pleading eyes to EJ wondering what had happened to make him so cold and unyielding.

"I don't give a damn what Lucas thinks about anything," EJ scoffed thinking they would all be well rid of him, pesky little troll that he was not even being able to keep his new wife from straying, well he guessed Chloe had grown tired of Lucas' incessant whining and demands just as Samantha had over time. "Plus aren't you sick and tired of having Samantha refusing to let you see your granddaughter now that Lucas went into the alcohol rehab program? Why Samantha was the one who suggested that Lucas go there wasn't she? Guess she had planned all along to get full custody of her daughter one way or another from Lucas hadn't she?"

"What will gaining partial custody of Allie do for me?" Kate's eyes narrowed until it hit her; oh my god EJ really was going to do a number on Sami. Maybe he was finally seeing her for what Lucas and Austin had already bitterly learned that Sami was a lying whore, one that was not good enough for either one of her beloved sons.

"Why bring our family together again of course," EJ stated matter of fact. "Although you will need to convince Father to come back home, that I have found it in my heart to forgive him."

"You have no heart EJ," Kate was quick to inform him.

"Which makes us all such a lovely family, doesn't it?" EJ asked his voice on the verge of sarcasm, but not quite hitting the tone just yet. "Just think how wonderful it will be for all of us to be reunited under one roof and now as soon as you get your imbecile son committed the sweet and innocent Allie will be residing with us as well. Whatever will her mother do knowing both her babies will be with us instead of just Johnny?"

"You are forgetting Sydney?" Kate twirled the strand of black pearls she was wearing around her finger, casting EJ a curious look.

EJ looked Kate up and down before replying, "I could never forget my precious baby girl. Somehow I have a feeling she will be back with us soon."

"What have you done EJ?" Kate asked thinking her stepson knew more about the kidnapping than he was letting on to everyone around him.

"Nothing my dear Kate, beyond doing my best to find out who was stupid enough to kidnap my daughter and when I do find whoever it is they will pay with their miserable life," EJ stated knowing that when he found his daughter he was bringing her home to live with him and if Samantha objected well he'd cross that bridge when he got to it. It was time that he finally took back what was rightfully his and damn anyone who stood in his way.

**_Chapter 4_**

Kate hated this feeling of doom that had come over her ever since that phone call she had received from EJ summoning her back to Salem and now standing here in a private waiting room of New Horizons rehab center she knew the course of action she was about to embark upon was going to be a heartbreaking one for her. Her son Lucas would hate her forever; she could already imagine how his face would contort in anger when he finally realized what she was going to do to him.

How was she going to tell him that he wasn't going to be coming home soon, instead he was going to another facility? A place where he would be heavily sedated; especially after she had patiently explained to Dr. Joe Briggs that it would be in her son's best interests to be committed to Serenity Haven.

Dr. Briggs looked over Lucas' file, a frown forming on his face as he read it, casting an unbelievable look to Kate, "You really want to have your son committed? I mean, he does have a severe drinking problem, but New Horizons would be better suited for him to be able to go back to his life eventually. If you have him sent to Serenity Haven, they are going to have him so doped up he won't know whether he is coming or going most of the time."

"Dr. Briggs, while I realize you think you are an incredible doctor," Kate began, only to have him interrupt her immediately.

"I am a brilliant doctor," Joe stated emphatically, hating all of these people who felt like they owned him, calling him up for favors whenever something happened in their crazy psychotic families. Why if anyone needed to be committed, the lady standing in front of him should be one of the first in line. Any woman that would willingly marry Stefano DiMera had to be slightly off kilter.

Kate stepped in closer to Dr. Briggs and placed her heavily ornate ringed finger on his chest, "Considering that Stefano paid off your sizable debt to Dom, I thought you would be more than willing to help our family in our time of need, especially after Stefano was also able to secure you a nice position on staff at Salem University Hospital."

"Lady, and I use that term lightly, I just traded off one debt for another," Joe rolled his eyes, wishing he hadn't of been backed into a corner by Dom, but if Stefano hadn't of stepped in with his very generous offer of help to Joe to be rid of Dom and in turn allowing Joe not to have to marry Dom's daughter Jules, he would have been stuck into a loveless marriage for the rest of his miserable life, much like the woman standing in front of him right now was in for as long as Stefano wanted her in his life.

Kate smirked thinking this boy had balls considering how close he had come to having his own death sentence served by the hands of one of the most notorious crime families on the East coast. She had scoffed at her husband when he had told her that he was helping out someone who would be very valuable to their family seeing as how Lexie was reluctant to be the family doctor. She rather liked how he was close to balking over her suggestion to have her son committed to the sanitarium, but she had to do whatever it took to keep her position with Stefano good, she needed his protection to keep from going to prison.

"Now Dr. Briggs, Stefano would be saddened to know that you aren't happy with your new job and consequently your chance to start a new life in Salem," Kate smiled a sweet saccharine smile in his direction, maybe this young man would prove to be valuable to her in more ways than one, she might have needs of some of his other talented services especially since she was going to have to come back to Salem herself per EJ's request.

Joe gave her what he hoped would pass for a smile, "Have no fear Mrs. DiMera, I am thrilled for my new lease on life."

Kate patted his cheek gently, "So glad to hear it, Dr. Briggs, now if you can go give your professional evaluation to the staff for Lucas to be immediately referred to Serenity Haven, I would be in your debt. Remember that this little favor is just between you and me, Stefano doesn't need to be bothered with something as trivial as this meeting was about Lucas."

"Whatever you need Mrs. DiMera, I'm here to help you," Joe actually felt a smile forming sensing Kate had something to hide and he would take the time when he returned to Salem today to start digging around to see what it was that she was trying to keep Stefano from uncovering.

"Thank you," Kate said softly, wishing once again that things were different; the next few hours of her life would be taxing on her. She hated having to sacrifice Lucas, but really in the long run he would be better off because this way Sami wouldn't ever be able to sink her claws into her hapless son ever again.

EJ sat alone at a table in the Brady Pub, silently engrossed in reading the newspaper article The Salem Spectator had written about Sydney's kidnapping. He was frustrated, the Salem PD and the FBI had no new clues to his daughter's whereabouts or rather if they did they were not telling him anything about it.

He knew the Brady's hated him and his family, which made the reason for his stop at the pub all the more important, this entire self-righteous family needed to know he was not going to be deterred by their snubs. He didn't give two damns if any of them were civil to him; it was just delightful to see how he grated on their nerves by his mere presence in what they fully viewed as Brady territory. Plus he needed to speed up his progress he seemed to be making with Rafe's sister Arianna. Anything to upset Rafe was a win-win situation seeing as how that bastard had helped Samantha keep the truth of being pregnant with his child away from him.

EJ had big plans for making Rafe suffer, why that imbecile was number one on his list of people he planned to destroy. He hated Rafe for convincing Samantha to keep his child away from him. What right did that man have concerning any of his children? None and Mr. Hernandez was going to pay dearly for trying to insinuate himself into his children's lives. If he wanted to screw Samantha, then he could have her, but he was not going to be a father figure to any DiMera's.

He kept reading the paper, trying to not let his plans of revenge cloud his judgment, right now he needed to shore in Rafe's sister. One step at a time, he reminded himself trying not to smile as he saw her approach him out of the corner of his eye.

"Hi EJ," Arianna began giving him a beaming smile as he put the newspaper down, being sure to have the headlines on the table so that Arianna could see what he had been reading so intently. The pot of coffee in her hand immediately refilling EJ's cup of coffee before she sat down by him at his table hoping he didn't mind that she was taking the liberty of sitting down with him.

"Good afternoon Arianna," EJ's voice was kind, no hint of anything beyond that in his tone. "I am so glad you joined me, most people tend to avoid me like the plague lately."

"They just don't know you like I do," she gave him a tentative smile, hoping that he would return one to her, but he seemed so filled with sadness that it made her heart break each time he turned those troubled eyes in her direction.

"You won't win any approval ratings from anyone in town for befriending me," EJ said quietly, as he noted Carolyn's obvious frown from clear across the room when she saw Arianna sitting down with him.

"I don't care what they think," Arianna shrugged her shoulders, thinking most people just didn't take the time to see that EJ DiMera was a nice man, he was hurting and it infuriated her that Sami was getting all the sympathy while EJ was apparently going it alone without anyone on his side beyond his sister Lexie. Brady and Rafe were wrong about him, EJ was a good man, they just couldn't get beyond their hatred of the DiMera's to take the time to get to know him like she had done.

"Maybe you should, I mean I don't want to cause trouble for you with your job," EJ tilted his head in Carolyn's direction causing Arianna to turn her head to lock eyes with the eldest of the Brady clan now that Shawn Sr. had passed away. Carolyn immediately turned her eyes away from Arianna and walked away in a huff turning for what looked like the storage room of the pub.

Arianna reached out to touch EJ's hand, "You are my friend and if people have a problem with that they are just going to have to deal with it, I am not abandoning you during your time of need."

EJ gave her a grateful smile which made Arianna want to melt from the inside out. How could people be so mean to this man was beyond her stretch of the imagination? She gripped his hand tighter and scooted her chair closer to him unbeknownst that her brother and Sami were coming into the pub.

Rafe felt anger come over him like a storm cloud, apparently his sister hadn't listened to a word he tried to tell her last night concerning that scum DiMera. Why she looked like she was about to crawl right into his lap during broad daylight at the pub.

Sami couldn't believe what she was seeing, why was Arianna apparently trying to comfort EJ? If that silly goose could have seen him last night at the mansion all dark and angry telling her to leave unless of course she wanted something more from him she would get up from there and not have anything at all to do with him. EJ wasn't some kind of helpless creature; no he was strong and capable of doing terrible things.

Nasty, tempting things too, the voice inside her echoed traitorously in her head, things that would make you blush profusely in public if people knew what you were truly thinking. She shook her head, silently scolding her inner voice for trying to state the obvious that the man sitting in the pub, letting Arianna hold his hand was a virile specimen of manhood, one that could have you begging for release if you were lucky enough to be alone with him.

He didn't even have to turn around to feel her enter the room, damn her, he thought doing his best not to let the power Samantha Brady apparently still held over him even flicker across his face. But one thing he knew he wasn't going to let her get the best of him anymore. He had to play this well, like he was indifferent to Ms. Brady, especially if he wanted Arianna firmly entrenched in his corner.

Which he did, Arianna was vital to his plans, so he kept his cool as he turned his eyes to face the one woman who didn't deserve any modicum of kindness or concern from him. He wasn't going to let Samantha Brady wreck his life ever again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Before** **the Dawn**

**Chapter 5**

Sami couldn't believe the nerve of EJ, he wasn't welcome in the Brady Pub; this wasn't a place that wanted or needed his commanding presence at all. Yet there he was looking like he was hurting as badly as she was over the news of Sydney's kidnapping.

And of course there was stupid little Arianna by his side, holding his hand like it was a lifeline for her. She shouldn't have gotten sidetracked last night and told EJ to steer clear of Arianna and her overtures of friendship she was offering to him.

She could feel Rafe bristling in anger beside her over the sight of seeing his sister consort with the likes of EJ DiMera. All it would take would be a few choice words from EJ and she was afraid there would be a brawl between the two of them right here in the pub. She tried to grab Rafe's hand so that she could assure him that everything was all right, but he rebuffed her attempt to capture his hand within hers.

He strode directly over to the table where EJ was sitting with Arianna and tapped his sister on her shoulder trying to get her attention away from that snake DiMera. It literally sickened him to think that his sister was falling for that liar's charms.

"Arianna, I need to speak with you," Rafe stated in a matter of fact manner as he placed both of his hands down by his side as they curled up in tightly into fists.

Arianna turned to look at her brother and felt her agitation grow with him, he just couldn't see how much EJ was hurting and it wasn't fair that he was being treated so poorly by everyone in this establishment.

"Rafe, can't you give me a few minutes more with EJ we were talking with one another…"

"You don't need to be talking with him anywhere, he's scum," Rafe scoffed looking at his sister as if she had lost her mind.

"Nice to see you too Rafe," EJ offered up in a much nicer tone than he wanted to speak to him, doing his best to keep his temper in check when all he really wanted to do was smash that idiots face into the nearest wall. Then he had to keep himself from laughing over the thought that a good smack or two might actually improve Rafe's facial features considerably.

"You will not insult my friend," Arianna let go of EJ's hand and arose to stand toe to toe with her brother, her ire growing with her brother's rude comment to EJ when he hadn't done a single thing to warrant such behavior from him in the first place. All they had been doing was talking to one another.

"EJ DiMera isn't your friend Ari," Rafe began only to have EJ stand up as well to place a hand on Arianna's shoulder.

"Arianna, I don't want to be a cause of trouble between you and your brother. I'll just go. Thank you for your kind words earlier. I really do appreciate them."

"EJ you aren't causing trouble, Rafe is with his rude behavior." Arianna gave EJ an encouraging smile before turning back her wrath on her brother speaking a few choice words to him in Spanish before adding, "Our mother would be so disappointed in you kicking a man when he is down. He is devastated about Sydney's kidnapping while you act like Sami is the only one who needs any sympathy around here."

With the mention of her name Sami walked over to the table as well, not wanting them all to fall prey to EJ's mind games. It was as if Arianna was completely blind to his machinations. She was about to say as much to her when EJ handed her the newspaper and seeing the headlines instantly made her sick to her stomach. It was a picture of Sydney along with the headline of **_DiMera Heir Still Reported Missing-No New Leads_**…

"I'll take my leave now," EJ stated as Sami looked as if she were about to faint in front of them all. It wouldn't do anyone any good if he was showing her any modicum of concern anyway, especially when he was trying to ensnare Arianna over to his side.

"EJ you don't have to go," Arianna took his hand once more before he could walk out of the door, tugging on his hand to get him to stay.

"It'll probably be better if I go, but if you're free tonight maybe you could come over for dinner. With Father and Kate still out of town, the mansion gets kind of lonely when Johnny isn't there."

"She will do no such thing," Rafe was close to shouting when Arianna gave him a murderous glance back in his direction before turning to look at EJ again.

"I apologize for my brother's obvious lack of manners. I'd be delighted to come over for dinner."

"Great, I'll have my driver pick you up around seven," EJ gave her another small smile before opening the door to the pub to leave.

"All right see you then," Arianna was practically floating on air as the door closed behind EJ's retreating figure.

"No way in hell are you having dinner with DiMera!" Rafe snarled as he attempted to block his sister's attempt to go back to the bar of the pub. "Ari are you crazy?"

"I'm perfectly sane even though you are acting like a child. How dare you tell me what I can and can't do? I'm a grown woman capable of making my own decisions…"

"Mistakes maybe if you think befriending EJ DiMera is in your best interest."

Arianna took the cleaning cloth she had in her hand and flapped it in Rafe's direction, "Usted imbécil insufrible."

"I am not an insufferable jackass," Rafe yelled as Arianna walked away from both he and Sami.

"Yes you are," she yelled back as she strode back angrily muttering away again in Spanish before she went into the stockroom of the pub.

"Sami, I'm sorry for causing a scene, but you know I can't stand EJ. I still think he has something to do with Sydney's disappearance."

"We don't have any proof that he has done anything with Sydney, if anything he seems upset too."

"Don't you fall for his woe is me tale too Sami. Something is off about Sydney missing."

"Then why don't you go back to work to help find her," Sami blurted out before she thought better of it. Hearing EJ ask Arianna out had pissed her off more than she wanted to admit and then it had upset her more when she saw how happy Rafe's sister was about EJ's impromptu dinner invitation. Add all of that to her constant worry over her baby daughter's disappearance and it was becoming one hell of a day for her and it wasn't even noon yet.

Rafe gave her a disbelieving look over her harsh words to him, but nodded his head before taking his leave of the pub as well, slamming the door behind him with his departure.

_~Before the Dawn~_

EJ had already made his way to the town center two blocks away from the Brady pub when his cell phone rang. Eyeing the number before answering he answered with a terse, "What have you got for me yet?"

A brief pause before he succinctly stated, "I'm not paying you for guesses you better come up with some concrete leads on who has taken my daughter or I swear you'll wish you had been taken yourself by kidnappers."

EJ wanted to throw his phone unto the sidewalk as he turned it off. The private investigators that he hired and was paying an enormous amount of money to had turned up no solid leads at all in Sydney's kidnapping. If he had to kill someone he was going to find out who had taken his daughter and when he found them they would pray for death themselves.

He was going to find Sydney if it was the last thing he ever did. Well that and destroying Rafe Hernandez too in the process. That little prick was going to wish he had never tried to take any of his children away from him. He wasn't their father and before everything was said and done he'd prove what a mistake Samantha Brady had ever done by choosing Rafe over him.

And they said a woman scorned was dangerous. A scorned DiMera was worse by any stretch of the imagination and one they'd all find out about soon enough.

It was all just a matter of time...


	3. Chapter 3

**Before the Dawn**

**Chapter 6**

It was all Sami could do not to shriek at Arianna after Rafe and EJ had left the pub. Couldn't Arianna see what a dangerous man EJ DiMera was and would continue to be until his dying day? It was taxing her nerves to try and be calm with her. She needed to get the girl to see what was right in front of her face.

EJ DiMera was not to be trusted. There was no telling what the man might do to her if she went to the mansion for dinner tonight with him.

Not that she was jealous of Arianna at all, she had Rafe, and he loved her. He had told her he wanted to keep her safe and protected. She didn't need to be involved with EJ in any way, shape or form.

_That's not what your dreams say._

She shook her head, trying to dispel that voice inside her head along with the still vivid images she'd had of EJ in her dreams last night. She had no doubt if she had continued dreaming she would have fucked EJ in her dreams just like she had asked him to do. EJ DiMera dominating her in her dreams was simply a figment of her imagination. She didn't want any man do to dominate her, especially EJ. She couldn't allow that to happen. She was a strong independent woman.

She couldn't go down that path with EJ once more. Each time she had let him back into her life he had hurt her, all he did was lie, cheat and steal. Maybe Rafe was right; EJ might be behind Sydney's kidnapping. Well if that were the case she was going to find out for sure. She would start a charade of befriending EJ again instead of pushing him away. EJ wouldn't be able to resist her if she pulled out all the stops in her arsenal.

She'd begin to formulate a plan today since Johnny and Allie were in school and it was still a few hours away from when she needed to pick them up.

Then she heard Arianna humming while she wiped down the counter and smiling it was enough to make her want to go smack that silly ass smile off her face. The girl was a fool if she thought she would ever mean something to EJ. He would use her for what he could get out of her and then he'd…

_What would he do?_ Her mind instantly flooded with unwanted images of EJ holding Arianna in his arms, kissing her and before she knew it she was filled with a white hot rage that she was afraid was nothing but outright pure jealously.

Arianna's humming grew until she was quietly singing lyrics of a song in Spanish that Sami couldn't quite figure out the words to since she was in the process of learning the language. Oh hell no, Arianna wasn't going to go around acting like Cinderella, at least not in her presence.

Sami knew what she had to do not to arouse suspicion in either Arianna or Rafe for that matter, she would smile at Rafe's sister like nothing was wrong, bid her a good day and then she would leave the pub. Surely EJ couldn't have gotten too far since he had only left minutes before.

She was going to have a little talk with EJ like she had planned to do last night and this time she wouldn't be sidetracked. She had to do something before he drug the simpering Arianna into something that she surely couldn't handle. EJ DiMera was a dangerous man, one that had many times tried to best her, but most times he failed miserably.

This time would be no different, she was determined and nothing would stop her. EJ wasn't going to have Arianna for an ally; no way in hell would she allow it to happen. No, she would let EJ believe she wanted to join forces with him, for them to find their missing daughter together.

EJ still had feelings for her, she knew it as sure as she knew her name was Samantha Gene Brady and when she set her mind to something she would get her way come hell or high water. Before he realized it EJ would be right where she wanted him. She'd put up with that Nicole Walker bullshit he'd brought into their lives and look where that had gotten them.

She wasn't going to take any more fuckery from EJ. He needed to keep his mind on finding their daughter and she intended to make sure he understood that implicitly.

_~Before the Dawn~_

Kate tried to mentally prepare herself for Lucas' meltdown when he realized instead of getting the news that he would be going home soon he was going to be transferred to Serenity Haven instead. She knew it wasn't going to be pretty, but her hands were tied. EJ had the damning blackmail against her and no way could she allow Stefano to find out she had fucked Roman in a moment of weakness.

Stefano would either have her thrown in jail since he had the evidence against her locked away in safekeeping or he would kill her. Neither choice was an option she wanted to face.

Damn her libido, she should of known better than to have sought out Roman for a bit of comfort, but he still loved her, she knew it even without him actually saying the words to her that night. How much simpler would her life had been if she and Roman had been able to work things out years and stay married?

No she had chosen to go to the dark side. Stefano had promised her a get out of jail free card and she had foolishly believed she could be Mrs. Stefano DiMera. Now looking at Lucas she realized her trade off was going to hurt her favorite child in ways she had never imagined he would be hurt.

"So Dr. Briggs, when am I getting the green light to get out of this place?" Lucas asked hopefully, he was so ready to get back to his life even if he and Chloe were in the process of getting a divorce.

Joe looked over at Kate with an upraised brow silently questioning her once more, but all she did was shake her head no. She couldn't risk the consequences if she didn't do what EJ told her she was going to do for him.

"Lucas, I'm sorry to say, but your labs came back and you tested positive for Oxycodone, the drug you were sent here to get off of since you were mixing it with alcohol," Dr. Briggs lied to him, but he was indebted to Stefano. He couldn't refuse to help the wife of the man who had helped him escape the clutches of one of the biggest mob families on the east coast.

"That's bullshit, I haven't taken anything and I sure haven't had a fucking drink," Lucas was livid. How dare this doctor tell him something he knew was an outright lie?

Joe placed the tests in front of Lucas on the hospital tray that was by his hospital bed. "It's all there in black and white. I don't know who your connection is here on the inside, but maybe if you tell us we can stop them from wrecking other people's lives like they have yours."

"Mom, I don't know what is going on, but you have to believe me. I've been in here getting clean and sober these past two months."

Kate's eyes filled with tears, "Baby you have to tell the truth. You can't get better if you don't admit you have a bigger problem than what we previously thought. You are going to have to go to Serenity Haven to get off the drugs and alcohol or you'll be dead within a few years time if not sooner."

"I am telling the truth, this fucker doesn't know what he is talking about!" Lucas screamed and began to shout obscenities loud enough for the orderlies to come into the room ready to subdue him.

"Sweetie, I promise you. If you go and get the help then I'll do everything in my power to get you out so that you can be back with Will and Allie. Your children need a father who isn't a junkie and an alcoholic."

"Mom, please believe me," Lucas began to beg her, but she shook her head no in response.

"You need to sign the forms," Kate urged hoping Lucas wouldn't realize in his rage that one of the papers was signing over temporary custody of Allie to her until his release from the drug rehab program. "I don't want to have to commit you Lucas, but I will if you don't sign them right now."

Lucas looked at the burly orderlies who were waiting right behind Kate and Dr. Briggs and knew there was no way he was going to convince them. He began to cry when Kate handed him a pen, he hastily signed the documents without even looking over them and shoved them back in Kate's direction.

"I did what you wanted now get the hell out of my room," Lucas ordered his mother, who nodded as she gathered up the necessary legal papers. She would have these delivered to EJ within a few hours time so that he could notarize and file them with the courts.

Kate walked out of the room, tears flowing down her face. Joe followed her out of the room giving her a shake of his head as he headed down the hallway.

"Dr. Briggs," Kate called out to him, making him stop to turn around and face her.

"What Mrs. DiMera?"Joe's tone was curt, this was wrong, but it wasn't the first time he had finagled hospital records and he was certain it wouldn't be the last either.

"Just letting you know if you need to stay at the mansion until you find somewhere to live in Salem since you'll begin your job at University Hospital next week, you are more than welcome."

"I'll think about it," was all he said as he turned around and walked away from her.

Kate watched him go and glanced back once more to Lucas' room knowing she couldn't go back into see him. She sniffed back her tears, held her head high and walked out of the hospital. After she was outside and on her way to her car, she pulled out her cell phone and called EJ.

"It's done," she stated tersely.

"Marvelous news Kate," EJ praised her mockingly. "I'll see you in a few hours then?"

"Yes, you miserable bastard," Kate began to rant only to have EJ start to laugh in response.

"Love you too Mumsie," EJ stated and then ended the call while she was still ranting at him.

EJ was elated; everything was beginning to fall into place. Phase one of bringing Samantha down for betraying him was completed. He couldn't help the smile that lighted his face as he thought about what future plans he had in store for her.

He didn't see her approaching him from behind, but he sure could tell she was furious when she yanked on his arm, causing him to stop mid-stride.

"What in the hell were you talking to Kate about?" She asked with a fire in her eyes.

"How do you know I was speaking with Kate?" He asked a question to her instead of answering her directly.

"Love you too Mumsie?" Sami mimicked his accent even though she couldn't quite get the enunciations' to sound like him and then she switched back to her own voice. "Who else would you call that besides the stupid bitch that married your father?"

"I thought we had already discussed that unless you needed to speak to me about our children anything else was off limits between us and me speaking to my step mother is none of your damn business."

"So you were talking to her?" Sami asked once more.

EJ rolled his eyes and started to walk away from her, she didn't need to know about Kate gaining partial custodial rights of Allie until the time was right and now definitely wasn't the time.

Sami couldn't believe it; EJ was walking off from her, refusing to talk to her. She reached out her hand again to stop him from leaving.

"Samantha, I don't want to have a confrontation with you out in the open. Do you not realize photographers or reporters are probably following us both? How good will it look if they snap a shot of us arguing out in public? Want to give Salem more fodder over our dysfunctional relationship? I'm sure it will make whoever the hell kidnapped Sydney want to bring her straight back to us!"

Sami stopped momentarily; she had been so focused on wanting to begin her plan to get EJ back on her side that she hadn't even thought of what he was saying to her. Damn it she hated when he was right, but she wasn't going to acknowledge it, at least not yet.

Her voice softened, "EJ, we need to talk. I'm sorry I came up and began accusing you of things. I just hate Kate so much."

_And you'll hate her even more soon_. EJ thought as he looked at her face. The beautiful face of the woman he used to love, but she'd proven time and time again that she couldn't be trusted.

He sighed, "Samantha, what in the world do we need to talk about?"

"I'll tell you when we get to the mansion." Then Sami walked past him and headed to his parked car which she could see was only about a half a block away from where she had found him.

"Bloody hell," he muttered under his breath as he watched her sway her hips while she walked ahead of him. He didn't have time for this today; he needed to work on his plan to get his daughter back from whoever kidnapped her along with plotting his revenge against her mother.

_Damn Samantha always wrecked his best laid plans._


	4. Chapter 4

**Before the Dawn**

**Chapter 7**

Thank goodness she had decided to wear one of her favorite dresses that clung to her body in all the right places along with her killer stiletto Louboutin's, the shoes EJ had surprised her with during what she liked to refer to as their non marriage when she had lived at the DiMera mansion with him. She was glad those shoes gave her the few extra inches of height she definitely needed for her conversation with EJ. Sami could feel EJ was watching her since she had chosen to go ahead of him to his car and she was sure to walk as if she were a model on a runway during a fashion show.

One thing she knew for sure was EJ loved to see her in a dress, add in the heels and that was a perfect combination to attract his attention and keep it solely on her, not that waif Arianna Hernandez. She wasn't going to let Rafe's sister fall prey to EJ's mind games because that is what he liked to do best, she knew it from firsthand experience.

She had made it to his car, going to stand beside the passenger door awaiting his arrival. He was taking his sweet time getting there, no doubt trying to make her wait and doubt herself because EJ always liked having the upper hand in any given situation. The man literally oozed power and confidence to all those around him, but she had seen him when he was vulnerable, when he had let his guard down, yet at the times when it had happened she hadn't fully appreciated it. Now there was no trace of it left in him as far as she could see because he had shut himself out from her as well.

The longer it took for EJ to get to his car, the more her confidence in this orchestrated meeting began to slip away. Then he was directly behind her, close enough for her to feel his breath briefly on her neck before he leaned across her body to open up the car door for her.

He didn't say a word to her as she entered into his car and then he promptly shut the car door behind her, sealing her inside. When he opened his own car door and got into the car, his presence immediately overpowered her. It was just a commanding aura about him that Sami had to admit no one else even came close to possessing. Maybe it was a DiMera trait that was ingrained in the family from birth, but she didn't need to dwell on it or she would lose her nerve and she needed to appear like he didn't faze her in the least.

Although he looked damn sexy in his dark grey Armani suit, the darkness suited him and apparently his mood too, if the look upon his face was a gauge of his displeasure of her demanding to accompany him so they could have a private conversation away from the nosy citizens of Salem. The only spark of color present on him was the vivid purple tie he wore along with the matching handkerchief he had in the front pocket of his suit jacket.

He never spoke a word to her on the drive to the mansion, in fact he acted like she wasn't even in the car with him which really pissed her off, but if he wanted to act like she didn't affect him so be it. He was a good liar, just like her, they were alike in those situations, being who they needed to be to get what they desired.

Not that she desired him, she didn't in the least. Right now she was in the process of regaining his trust and it would prove to be a difficult battle if the annoyed side eye looks he was giving her when he thought she wasn't paying attention was any indication.

Well he could be annoyed, he usually aggravated the hell out of her most times so turn about was fair play. Not that she believed in playing fair, but still the concept was one she could grasp when she needed to act like she was trying to portray the attribute.

At least he still had impeccable manners, after arriving at the mansion and parking his car, he went over to open her door for her and then going to the front door of his family home and opening it for her too, allowing her to precede him into foyer. Sometimes she wished Rafe thought of such things, opening of car doors, the reassuring pressure of hand placed on her back to let her know he was right behind her, but she shouldn't be comparing the men in her life.

_Because all of them came up short in comparison to EJ._

She told her inner voice to shut up, Rafe was a good man, an honest man and she was grateful to have him in her life.

_Wasn't she?_

Finally EJ broke into her thoughts, his voice hard, not holding even a minute trace of kindness or compassion like he used to show her, "Now, what was so bloody important we had to come here during the middle of the day when I have so many things to do instead?"

God he was such a condescending jackass at times, yet she wasn't going to let him rile her into a fit of temper and make her forget why she had wanted to come over here, especially like he had done to her the evening before when she had come to the mansion.

"I'm sorry if you aren't as concerned over finding our daughter as I am," Sami began only to have him grasp her arm tightly to bring her right into his direct line of vision, not to mention they were now standing toe to toe with one another.

"Don't even go there Samantha," EJ warned and his fingers exuded a bit more force on her arm he held.

"Or what?" she challenged back, she wasn't going to flinch and act like he frightened her even when his actions sometimes did that exact thing within her being.

"You don't want to find out," was his cryptic reply and for a moment she thought his eyes flashed something more akin to desire for her than disdain. He released his grip and instead strode into the living room, opting to pour himself a drink and one for her too. Ever the gentleman he held up a glass in her direction for her to take it from him.

Sami would love to throw the drink in his face, but she craved to have at least a small modicum of comfort the stinging liquor would provide. She took the glass from him and cautiously sipped on it, trying not to wince over the strong flavor of the bourbon he had poured for her to partake of with him.

He quickly finished his off and proceeded to pour himself another one, he looked her way and she nodded her head no since she wasn't even close to being finished with the one he had given her only moments ago.

Maybe she was affecting him more than she previously thought and decided to add a jab his way. "Do you really need another drink?"

EJ cocked his head, gave her his most sardonic smile and replied, "My dear Samantha, what I drink and how much I drink also falls into the ever growing category of what I do with my life is none of your concern. I'm really beginning to think you don't understand the concept of personal boundaries."

She couldn't help herself and snorted with laughter over that comment, "Seriously EJ, you have got to be kidding, you of all people are not a respecter of personal space. You have crossed every line with me and then some."

In less than the space of a few seconds EJ had went from the bar to directly in front of her, he looked her up one side and down the other as if finally taking note of how she was dressed today, then snidely commented, "Sunshine I think it irritates the hell out of you that I'm not invading your so called personal space, that I'm not groveling for the meager scraps of attention you rarely even threw my way. If it's a lapdog you want, you need to go visit your alcoholic, druggie ex-husband Lucas."

"Lucas is not a druggie, whereas you…" Sami began to defend him but before she could launch into a full blown diatribe and start on EJ's faults which he could tell she was dying to do EJ interrupted her.

"At least you didn't try to deny the fact the poor chap is an alcoholic, you do tend to drive most men to drink with your maleficent personality."

Sami's eyes were immediately drawn to the now empty glass in EJ's hand and decided not to argue with him, it was a moot point, something she didn't want to think of since she was already feeling incredibly guilty over the times she had tried to get Lucas to fall off the wagon years ago when Will was a child and now he was being treated for his dependency problems.

"Although you did convince the berk to go into rehab, so I guess there is some bit of kindness residing in you somewhere, even if you never showered me with any of it."

He was doing anything to bait her, she should have known he didn't want to have a serious conversation; apparently he wanted to avoid it.

"Can we not talk about Lucas?"

"Gladly, the dimwit has never been on my top ten lists of things to discuss. So what was so important that you felt the need to interrupt my day?"

"I wanted to know if you had any leads on who might have taken Sydney."

"Now wouldn't that fall under the job description of your so called hero Rafe? You know I'm not a detective for the Salem PD, why I'd have to lose at least 30 to 40 IQ points to be qualified for that job."

She felt her anger rise, not only was he insulting Rafe, he was also disparaging her father and several of her family members who worked for the organization. She was itching to slap him, to shut up his derogatory remarks to people whom she cared about.

"You're so fucking petty," she shook her head. "Can you even go a day without making fun of someone?"

EJ pointed to himself as in mock horror over her words, "Oh please Samantha, it's like shooting fish in a barrel. I can't help it if the entire police department of Salem is chock full of imbeciles. Well actually most of this town has a pretty high population of idiocy."

That did it, she drew back her arm and was on the brink of slapping him when he dropped his empty glass to the floor and caught her hand before it could make contact with his face. He kept her hand away from him even while his actions made their bodies collide with one another. His quick response to prohibit her from hitting him made them both off balance and they tumbled onto the floor.

The remainder of the drink Sami had spilled when the glass fell from her other free hand smashed onto the hardwood floor, but neither of them noticed since their bodies were directly connected with one another. The shock of falling caused their sharp intakes of breath as they eyed each other both ready to blame the other for causing the fall.

Sami would have to have been paralyzed not to feel the hardness of EJ's cock on her thigh even if he was completely dressed, some things you just couldn't hide and EJ was blessed with a rather impressive…she shook her head, mentally tried to make herself not to become aroused, but she could feel the instant moisture that drenched her thighs since she was only wearing a slip of a thong under her dress which had ridden up her body when they fell.

Before she could push herself away from him, EJ's voice was a wicked whisper in her ear, "Darling, if you wanted to fuck me all you had to do was ask me…"


	5. Chapter 5

**Before the Dawn  
>Chapter 8<strong>

Sami thought she must be hearing things; surely EJ had not insinuated she wanted to fuck him. She didn't cheat when she was in a relationship with a man, and she was most definitely in a loving, committed relationship with Rafe, one that would completely disintegrate if she gave into her baser needs and allowed EJ to take her here on the hardwood floor.

Before she could sputter some kind of retort of outrage to him for his preposterous assumption of her motives of wanting to see him alone this afternoon, somehow he had flipped her completely under him. She could feel the unyielding planes of the floor against her back and another entirely different kind of hardness his body was pressing down upon her.

One that she remembered quite vividly even if their sexual encounters had been limited, of course that had been of her choosing because it wasn't from like of trying on EJ's part. He'd been after her for years, trying to get her to break down and submit to him, but as she looked into his eyes they weren't filled with the care and concern he used to show her.

She didn't know if she should be elated EJ had finally gotten the message or sad because a part of her had always wanted to let go, to be with this man and tell everyone else to go to hell if they didn't like it. But she hadn't went that route, she'd chosen the safe path, one with Rafe which was stable, one that her family finally approved of and one if she was truly honest with herself that she was already bored of because of its utter predictability.

EJ DiMera wasn't manageable, he didn't bend to her will, he had always challenged her to embrace her wild side and revel in it with him. Yet she'd always been too scared to agree with his suggestions, it was like she was afraid if she let go there would be no turning back.

_Would she even want to turn back?_

All she had to do was arch into him, rub her breasts against his chest since they were already halfway exposed from the way the material of her dress had pulled apart when they had fallen to the floor and wrap her legs around his hips. She knew if anything was going to go beyond them writhing on the floor after the fall it was going to be up to her to initiate it.

She bit her bottom lip as she contemplated the possibilities of what could happen, EJ's words to her from the night before was that it had been forever since she had been fucked good and proper. It had been since the night Sydney was conceived and her body craved EJ's there was no denying it because she was already drenched in wetness and he hadn't even gone anywhere near the vicinity of her aching pussy.

How could she forsake her pride and ask him to do the unthinkable? She wanted him to fuck her, fuck her hard until she screamed and begged for mercy.

"Got something to ask me Sunshine?" His voice was sarcastic and cruel, but even when he was being nasty to her his words were sensual, almost as hypnotic as those ever-changing hazel eyes that were at the moment perusing her body while he awaited her answer.

He held himself above her watching her like a spider contemplating what to do with his prey. His expression held a dangerous edge to it, she guessed it all depended on if she wanted to take the plunge with him so to speak or rather have him taking plunges deep within her body with a force that he was well versed in using.

Well that image sold it for her, she whispered huskily, "Maybe not a question per se, a dare instead."

"I don't have time for games little girl," he said shortly even though he didn't move away from her either.

"EJ, you know I'm not a little girl, I'm all woman, one that wonders if you can even satisfy me. Can you EJ?"

He actually laughed at her, "Please Samantha, you know that I can, but unless you spell it out for me clearly so that we both understand each other's intentions than I'm calling a halt to **your** game."

Damn he was playing hard to get, but there was no mistaking he wanted her too, if anything it seemed like his hard on was growing even more as she felt it against her thigh. She cast a glance downward and even if she hadn't felt it she'd know by appearance even if he was still fully clothed.

"EJ, will you?" She stopped before completing her question and tried to open her legs some so that he would fall into the juncture of her thighs instead of laying on top of her, that way she could at least get some kind of friction going to help alleviate this burning need that was threatening to consume her.

EJ smirked, but still kept from placing himself any closer, "Will I what?"

Damn it, she was going to have to say the words or go home horny and she knew she wouldn't get what she needed at home, "Fuck me EJ. Will you fuck me?"

"Not without a safe word for you to use."

"We don't need one," she quickly countered back just wanting him to quit delaying and get on with it.

"I'm not doing anything to you that you don't want. There won't be any way you can come back later to blame me for taking advantage of you in your apparently over-heated state."

A dark thrill ran through her, he wasn't sure he could control himself once he got started with her. Oh this was going to be good, and her body agreed as she could feel her thighs were now coated with another burst of wetness that was seeping out of her.

Her mind wasn't really ready to come up with some handy dandy safe word because all she wanted to do was tear his clothes off of him. She looked up at him, saw the purple tie he was still loosely wearing and spouted out the word, "Purple."

"Hmm interesting," EJ commented before he realized he was still wearing his purple tie. He took one hand to finish pulling it off around his neck and placed it beside her, thinking he might put it to good use sometime during this foray. "Purple it is, say it anytime and I'll stop no questions asked."

She nodded her head in agreement, "Okay, now can we stop talking?"

"And start fucking?" He asked almost grinning at her for her impatience, but not quite.

_He read her mind; then again he always did, didn't he?_


	6. Chapter 6

**Before the Dawn**

**Chapter 9**

Well if he had thought suggesting a safe word for them to use would instantly put a stop to this insanity between he and Samantha, purportedly it had only provided him with the green light to go ahead and take what he had wanted from her for so long. But he wasn't going to wax all nostalgic and wish this was a step in the right direction for her to admit they belonged together.

Those dreams were long dead, she'd killed them with her lies and constant refusal to see what had been right in front of her all along. He had loved her, would have worshipped the ground she had walked up, not to mention how he would have willingly given her all the pleasure she could have ever thought possible.

She was never going to find a man who would have loved her for who she truly was because he had been the one for her, _just like she was the woman for him._

No, he wasn't going to think that way anymore about her. He was going to take from her what was being so brazenly offered , enjoy it for what it was worth which was just a physical release from all the tension and worry of these past few weeks and then walk away from her like she had done repeatedly to him.

Well of course now they were going to have the sex factor into the mix which was something new since it had been well over a year since they had made love.

He wanted to shut off his mind, they weren't ever going to make love again, this was strictly sex and that was completely different from making love with each other.

He had to be sure she knew exactly where he stood on this issue, "Let's be sure we understand each other, this doesn't mean anything, it's just sex."

Well that gave her pause as his words sunk in, he could see something flicker in her eyes, disappointment maybe, but then it was gone and who knows he could have been imagining it anyway.

"I know what this is," Sami began and then he cut her off before she could expound any further on the matter and they both decided this was a bad idea.

He pushed up on his arms away from her which caused her to give him a look of puzzlement until he began to unbutton his shirt and gave her an order, "Take off your clothes Samantha."

She almost told him to go to hell, but by then he had shrugged off his shirt and was standing up to remove his belt and her mouth suddenly went dry when he unbuttoned his pants. No way was she going to forgo taking what she needed from him so badly just because his words were wounding her pride.

She stood on legs that were shaking and took a breath hoping it would calm the sudden case of nerves she was experiencing and then she began to strip off the dress, letting the material pool around her feet. She stepped out away from it and hesitated when the cool air of the room hit her body.

"Don't stop now, those have to go too," EJ waved his hand in her direction since he was fully nude now and Sami could see firsthand how aroused he was, his erection jutting proudly from his body.

No way was she backing out now, now when she was this up close and personal with EJ. Feeling a new sense of feminine pride, she hastily slipped her panties off, but she took her time unlatching her red lace bra, then tossed it carelessly to the floor. She had to force herself not to smile when his gaze took her in, her breasts were full, her nipples were hardened and she was completely bare from her waxing.

She was bending down in an effort to remove her high heeled shoes when he said, "You can leave those on."

She pursued her lips to stop the instant grin she felt forming, she knew he loved those shoes on her, guess they fell into the category of fuck me shoes after all. Yet he didn't make a move toward her while she stood still awaiting his next words of instruction to her.

"Put your hands on the back of the couch. You'll need something to hold onto so you won't lose your balance."

_Oh yes_, she thought to herself, she loved this position and could only imagine what it would feel like to have EJ thrusting into her from that angle especially since he was bigger than anyone else she had ever been with sexually.

"Spread your legs a bit and bend over some darling," he was right behind her even if he hadn't entered her yet. She could feel her anticipation building and she couldn't help the thrill of her heart had given when he had called her darling. Those endearments he used to use daily for her now were few and far between if he ever uttered them to her.

She couldn't see his face, couldn't see what he was planning to do next and then mercifully he finally touched the curve of her ass and then went to her thighs and knew he was feeling how wet she was without him even having to move his fingers upward which she was dying for his touch even if she was so ready for him she was probably going to come as soon as he touched her.

Yet his fingers didn't go to the place that was aching, "You ready for me?"

She nodded her head, it was like she couldn't speak, that was until he spread her legs a little bit more and then before she knew what was happening he was entering her with his cock instead of touching her with those amazing long fingers. She orgasmed before he was even fully sheathed inside of her, his body joining with hers inch by glorious inch and she knew he had plenty more to go before he was to the hilt.

"Oh god," she said shakily and almost let go of the back of the couch, it felt so damn good.

"Don't let go," EJ's voice was ragged, surprised she had come so quickly and it had almost triggered his own orgasm as well but he willed himself not to let this end before it truly began with them. He hadn't waited this long for it to be over within a few minutes time.

No he was going to savor this and he was finally all the way in, pausing for a few seconds to let her orgasm subside and when he had felt the last tremors from her, he began to slowly thrust, taking his time as he let the ecstasy build between them.

He grabbed her waist so that he could get more leverage and she wouldn't fall because he could tell she was struggling to hold onto the back off the couch, she was tiptoeing even in her heels as he brought her up and down upon him, each time he was a bit more forceful in the strokes he was using.

"So good, so, so good…" she said brokenly as she tossed her head back and he had to agree with her, she was exquisite, she was clenching her inner muscles around him and his balls were slapping against her thighs with each movement.

"That's right sweetheart, you'll never get it any better than this," his breath was hot when he moved closer, changing his position so that he could press his chest against her back and then he kissed her neck, he took one hand away from her hip and finally his fingers were rubbing her clit and she screamed out his name as another orgasm hit her.

Her screaming his name snapped what little control he had left and with a curse he came too and before he thought better of it, he had let go of her waist completely and his other hand wrapped itself in her long hair, twisting it so that it would turn her head to face him and he kissed her.

It wasn't a sweet kiss, no this one was raw with a desperate hunger and Sami returned it in full, reveling in the power she knew she had over him because this wasn't one sided, she had affected him as much as he had her. She rode him still as the last vestiges of his release flooded her body.

He tugged on her hair a bit harder as if he wanted her to pull back from kissing him, but she wouldn't budge. He'd back down before she did and then they both froze when they heard Kate's screeching voice outside the door.

"EJ, where in the hell are you?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Before the Dawn**

**Chapter 10**

When Sami heard Kate's screeching voice demanding where in the hell was EJ it scared her and she broke off the kiss she had been trying to maintain with him. EJ immediately saw the fear in her eyes of them being caught in this very compromising position by one of her biggest enemies.

This sudden development put EJ in a quandary. He didn't want Kate to discover them together because she could begin to rattle off the details of his blackmail over her to Samantha and that would definitely ruin the element of surprise in his revenge plan.

Plus he was currently still embedded deep within the supple body of the woman he was on the way to destroying and instead of making him shrink the adrenaline was giving him such a rush that if anything his erection was increasing exponentially. Thankfully he had enough sense to lock the door to the room he and Samantha had walked into for their so called discussion, but he could tell she hadn't noticed it beforehand or her distress had completely eradicated that pertinent fact from her brain.

He quickly realized Samantha was torn, he could begin to feel her try to weakly struggle to get off of him, but unless he let her go there was no way she could do it on her own since he was going to have to help her disentangle them from each other. Add in the too telling fact of her body was even wetter as he felt another gush of moisture it was producing and he instinctively responded in kind by thrusting upward.

He could see the instant surprise in her face, she had thought he would do the gentlemanly gesture and let her down easy, not plow onward without any thought of the consequences of them being together might produce.

_Had she forgotten whom she was dealing with?_ The gentleman within him had died bit by bit each day and the final blow had been the night he had heard her confess to Rafe she would have kept Sydney from him all over again. He was glad of his sudden remembrance of such betrayal from herl. This was the reason why he had started this plan of revenge in the first place.

The loud clicking of Kate's high heels on the pristine hardwood floors was right outside the door and brought him back from the anger. She was irate and was calling his name.

"Damn you EJ, you better come out wherever you are!" Kate bellowed and the raised decibels of her voice were clearly heard by the two inhabitants of the room behind the locked door.

_Not bloody likely_! He wasn't finished with Samantha by a long shot. This only fueled EJ to find the nearest wall to support Samantha's body better against it since he hadn't pulled out of her and he had no desire to do so anyway.

Then they heard barely Harold's calming voice speak to Kate. "Mrs. DiMera so good to see you. We weren't expecting your arrival this afternoon. Is Master Stefano with you?"

"No! I need to see EJ right this moment!"

"Madam, Master EJ is not here."

"Don't give me that line Harold. I saw his car parked right out front, so if you will be so kind as to point me in the right direction because I need to speak to my step son immediately!"

"Oh the car dealership dropped off Master EJ's Mercedes only within the past hour. He had the car serviced this morning. EJ took his Jaguar out and told me he would be home sometime this evening after he had finished working at DiMera Enterprises. "

EJ broke out into a smile, Harold was lying for him. He must have seen them enter into the house earlier, yet he was playing the role of keeping his whereabouts a secret to Kate. The man knew everything that went on in this household, one of the reasons he was in charge of the entire wait staff of the mansion.

"Are you sure about that Harold? I could have sworn I heard something when I was walking down the hallway."

"Must be one of the maids cleaning the rooms, I swear sometimes they don't realize the noise they make. Would you like for me to have Hazel make you something to eat?" Harold's voice trailed off, he must be trying to lead Kate away from the room she was close to trying to enter.

EJ thought to himself whether Harold realized it or not the man had just gotten himself a huge bonus for his next paycheck.

Then he turned his full attention back to Samantha since he had managed to press her back against the wall while her legs were loosely wrapped around his waist. She attempted to push back on his chest to put some space between them and whispered harshly, "EJ, put me down!"

Instead of doing as she asked, EJ hoisted her up slightly not enough to disengage them from each other, only to drop her weight back down fully on his burgeoning erection. "You know what you have to say to make me stop and that isn't it."

He then rolled his hips upward in an angle that made her shut her eyes and gasp, the sensation flooding her was so sharp and unexpected, but he didn't continue onward from the movement and she opened her eyes once more.

"Well what's it going to be Sunshine? Only one word you have to utter and I'll let you go, if not I'm going to continue fucking you while Kate is somewhere in the mansion, hell she still might even be right outside the door."

Sami didn't know what to do. The rational part of her brain was screaming yell the safe word and this madness would end, but she could feel the stirring of another orgasm just lurking beneath the surface. All it would take would be for a few more well placed strokes from EJ and she would come apart in his arms. She thought she should be shamed over her wantonness because some part of her wanted EJ to start pumping inside her again even if Kate might discover them.

"Want to say the word?" He asked again and she shook her head in negation. She'd denied herself of the pleasure EJ could give her too many times in the past because of her stubborness and she didn't want for it to vanish into thin air by her saying a single word to halt things from going any further between them.

EJ flashed a wicked smile, "That's my girl. Tighten your legs around my waist some because I'm afraid things might get a bit rough. You like it rough sometimes though, don't you darling?"

Sami nodded her head and did what EJ had told her what to do. And then he began to give her exactly what she wanted.

_Him_.


	8. Chapter 8

**Before the Dawn**

**Chapter 11**

Although conscious thought wasn't ranking top priority for her at the moment and even if they hadn't been rutting away at each other like animals in heat, the look EJ was giving her was enough to make her cum again. The hungry possessiveness in his stare as he continued to claim her was unlike anything any other man had given her and that alone brought on the latest orgasm that shook her throughout her body.

"Oh fuck," Sami stated faintly as the tremors consuming her body continued to rack within her.

"What was that you just said Sunshine? Does that mean you want to continue fucking me?" EJ asked haughtily trying his best to keep from cumming as he felt her walls constricting tightly around his cock.

Sami wanted to answer EJ, but she was on such a sensory overload that it was difficult for her to form a coherent sentence. She gasped for breath which inadvertently caused her already oversensitive nipples to brush against EJ's chest and that didn't help matters at all in her hopes of calming down.

"Am I too much for you? You need to stop?" EJ thrust a bit harder into her, but his words goading her that she couldn't handle him brought out her competitive spirit.

"Never," she managed to get out as she leant down into the crook of his neck and bit down on the sensitive flesh.

"Jesus Christ!" EJ instantly exploded his load into her as soon as he felt her teeth make contact which was enough to drive Sami over the edge again as he filled her with his hot male essence.

Sami wondered how she could be having another orgasm so quickly upon the heels of the last one, but at least she had made EJ cum and it had wiped that awful smirk off his face and had given her a second to catch her breath. She squeezed him with her inner muscles, noting that he was subsiding somewhat, yet not enough to slip out of her, "Not quite, but I'm as close to heaven as you'll ever get."

EJ narrowed his eyes at her as he carried them back to the couch without dropping her from her current position of still holding intimately onto him, "I doubt that since you're the mistress of darkness."

Sami scoffed, "Sorry that title goes to your soon to be ex-wife who is rotting away in jail for initially kidnapping our daughter away from me at the clinic."

"Which she couldn't have done if you'd only told me the truth about being pregnant with Sydney in the first goddamn place," EJ spat out and suddenly Sami was tensing up as the reality of what they were doing with one another hit her.

"Let me go EJ!" Sami pushed on EJ as she tried to quickly extricate herself away from him.

"With pleasure," EJ pulled out of her and Sami instantly scrambled to the other end of the couch, her eyes downcast as she got up and began searching for her discarded clothes that were all scattered out on the floor.

"No need to act all shy around me now, especially since you apparently got what you came for this afternoon," EJ stated as he got up as well and reached for his pants first, not even bothering to retrieve his boxers from the floor.

Sami jerked her clothes on with shaking hands as she sputtered out angrily, "This was not why I was here!"

"Tell yourself all the lies you want to sweetheart, it still doesn't make them true," EJ deftly buttoned up his shirt and then paused when he came to his tie as he pulled it through both of his hands and then walked over to Sami draping it over her now dressed body minus her shoes. "All you had to do was say the word and I'd stopped that instant no questions asked."

Sami eyed the tie warily before crumpling it up in her hands and throwing it back at him, "I'm calling a cab and getting the hell out of here."

"You'll do no such thing, I'll take you back to town, remember like Harold told Kate I'm at the DiMera offices slaving away, that is unless you want me to summon dear old Mumsie in here and let her know of our very intimate little tete-a-tete this afternoon."

Although EJ hoped Sami wouldn't call him on his bluff to let Kate know he was home, but Sami was cursing him under her breath and while he wasn't one hundred percent sure he thought she was calling him some kind of mother fucker.

EJ pointed to the door that led outside, "The Jag's in the garage, we can go out this door to get there and Kate will be none the wiser that we were ever here in this room wildly fucking while she was in the hallway looking for me."

Sami wouldn't even let him open the door for her as she walked out of the room with her head held high. Her ice princess persona back in place like nothing had never happened between them at all, like she had treated him so many times before as if his feeling were of no consequence to her.

_Which was exactly what he wanted, right?_


End file.
